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Lawmakers Criticize FDA Lab Closure Plan
Some potentially problematic seafood imports are being steered to enter the country in Las Vegas to avoid the scrutiny they might receive in San Francisco and other West Coast seaports, according to Nelson and other investigators.
The problems go beyond food. In Puerto Rico, investigators learned importers were getting around the FDA's blocking of imports of Chinese-made toothpaste made with an antifreeze ingredient by co-packaging them with toothbrushes. Examples of the tainted toothpaste included a Crest knockoff called "Crust," he added.
  William Hubbard, former Associate Commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, July 17, 2007, before a House Energy and Commerce subcommittee hearing on food safety. (AP Photo/Lauren Victoria Burke) (Lauren Victoria Burke - AP)  
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The decision to close and consolidate labs is likely to have a negative impact on safety, said B. Belinda Collins, the FDA's Denver district director. Furthermore, the reorganization would likely force many employees to retire or leave, said Carol Heppe, who faces the loss of her job as the FDA's Cincinnati district director.
"This will result in a mass loss of institutional knowledge and expertise at a time when the agency is trying to be proactive in our operations to prevent more emergencies," Heppe added.
Several of the most recent and high-profile food scares have involved imports from China, including deadly pet food ingredients spiked with industrial chemicals, farmed fish laced with antibiotics and snack food seasoning contaminated by salmonella.
"We know that we are vulnerable to harm from abroad where rules and regulations governing food production often are more lax than they are at home," said Rep. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., in raising the prospect of terrorists tampering with imports entering the U.S. food supply.
Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Calif., said Congress shared some of the responsibility for the problems with food safety since it hasn't given the FDA enough money or power.
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